As someone with anxiety, I can usually relate to and appreciate the representation in novels. This one is a bit heavy handed and it took me out of the story. I would definitely try this author again because there is potential.

Come for the bingo-based sex pact and stay for the mental health rep is the best way I can describe Jodie Slaughter's Bet On It. Aja Owens and Walker Abbott meet when Aja is having a panic attack in the grocery store and the way Slaughter crafts that scene with care and lightly woven in humor really sets the tone for the entire book.

Slaughter does a great job of showing characters living with PTSD and anxiety, and I also loved the way she wrote Aja's steps towards finding friends and community and how those situations can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to navigate. Meanwhile, Walker's journey deals with some complex family dynamics (and the ways that those who love us can still hurt us) and I really loved his relationship with his grandmother.

And then there's the delicious sex pact, forged as these two try to control the undeniable attraction between them. If you like reading about characters who grow as friends as well as lovers or friends with benefits situations, this is definitely a book for you. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Angel Pean and really enjoyed her performance.

This was so fun - I love when a romance novel presents a premise that you cannot imagine finding hot and then you're fanning your face at 60%. Who would have thought a romance centered around bingo games would do that?

It was hot (but could have been hotter, somehow), and has some really nice mental illness representation that I would have liked to see more fleshed out, particularly Walker. But it was a great read, real h-word, and I can't wait to see what Jodie writes next.

I did enjoy this one book I think I might have enjoed reading more than listening to the audio book.

I absolutely loved the mental health representation. The opening panic attack came across as a lived experience. The description was so vivid and evocative. I liked that the mental health issues were tackled consistently throughout the book and did not magically disappear.

I also loved the personal growth exhibited by both main characters Aja and Walker, particularly Aja. Despite her anxiety, I adored how she slowly opened herself up to new experiences and new friendships. Walker was slower to adjust but he got there in the end.

With the heavy issues, this story is really angsty. To be fair, there were flashes of humor but I wish there were more. I really liked the incredibly original premise of the two young people enjoying Bingo. Weird but quite unique.

The sexytimes were somewhat hot but also kinda not. I am no prude but the public ones (parking lot and Mayor's living room) were uncomfortable to listen to because the mechanics and the suspension of disbelief about the lack of discovery took me out of the story.

I appreciate the central themes of friendship, family (blood and found), and inclusivity. I enjoyed Ms. Pean's narration. She made Aja come alive. Not so much with Walker. This would have been multiple times better if recorded as a duet.

I think there were a ton of great things about this book but also a ton I didn’t love. I really appreciated the mental health/panic attack reps. I love books that take place in a small town, and I connected with Aja having a bit of social anxiety with new people and having difficulty making new friends.

I had a very hard time loving the writing in this book. The overuse of the word “fuck” made the writing feel immature. I was very unconvinced by Aja and Walker and it felt like they fell extremely fast. I was super caught off guard when they got physical for the first time, it almost felt like there was no build up to it. The steamy scenes were also a tad bit cringey and made me want to skip through them.

I listened to the audiobook and I the narrator was great for the most part, I just didn’t love her voice for Walker. It didn’t seem to fit him.

After I found out that the main character, Aja, is a fat Black woman who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, I knew that I NEEDED to read this book.

The opening scene of this book absolutely spoke to me. Aja is in the middle of a debilitating panic attack in the frozen food section of a Piggly Wiggly, and as someone who has had panic attacks in public, I never felt more seen while reading her experience.

I really enjoyed Aja and Walker as a couple. They initially bond over their shared experience with panic attacks thanks to her anxiety and his PTSD. I love that they both were so open about their experiences, mental health, and therapy, which is something that I want to see more of in romances. I also loved that Aja being fat was never seen as something taboo or gross. Instead, Walker was enamored with Aja’s body and treated her with respect and love.

Also, the whole bingo sex pact was a fun aspect to this story that I think helped bring some levity to an otherwise pretty serious book considering the aspects of mental health that were discussed. Also, I freaking loved Aja’s bond with Walker’s grandmother and their shared love of bingo.

Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Both the narrator and the story were lovely! I was in an audiobook slump and this book helped me get out of it, so I definitely recommend it!

DNF for now: I listened to the audio version, and the narrator's voice was nice, but her performance was sooooooooo slow. I tried adjusting to different speeds, and couldn't settle on a speed that I could comprehend that also didn't make me incredibly impatient to keep things moving. And when the narrator voiced the hero, it was just all wrong - definitely didn't depict the kind of guy that's described in the text. So, unfortunately, I could never get invested in the story because I was so distracted by the audio performance. I did like some of the themes that were explored, and this had the potential to be an intelligent, spicy read, but my distraction made this very easy to put down. I would definitely check out the story again in the future, but I wouldn't revisit the audio. So, I'll likely go back to the text once I've distanced myself enough from this frustrating experience.

this was cute but I wasn’t a big fan of the actual romance itself. mental health rep was good

a huge thank you to net galley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute rom com book. I really liked both main characters. They were good people, who were meant to be. Only they don’t know it yet. Their witty banter will keep you smiling, and really rooting for them to get together.

Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter. Narrated by Angel Pean. Pub Date: July 12, 2022

Thank you Netgalley, jodie_slaughter and Macmillan.audio for this audiobook!

This was surprisingly spicy! Which I love. There is a great trend of romance authors discussing heavier topics like mental health. Not only does this make it more relatable but it also helps you understand the character.

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

I enjoyed this surprisingly spicy romance that touches on PTSD and anxiety. The main characters meet at bingo and I thought the care they showed to the residents of the small town was so sweet. There are so many good side characters involved in this romance and I loved how the main characters helped each other with their difficulties. The narrator Angel Pean does a good job breathing life into these characters and the small town.

Overall, this was a cute book. I really liked the main protagonist, Aja. I loved the representation with her mental health. I connected less with her love interest, Walker. I think more scenes of them hanging out and getting to know each other more before they got together would have created better tension and buildup. As a result, I wasn't all in on their relationship and chemistry.

I also wish there was more worldbuilding with the small town and side characters. This would have added a lot more charm. We barely even got to know Walker's grandmother that well, his whole reason for coming to town. Only being with the two main characters made me feel a little claustrophobic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

Aja and Walker’s story was wonderful - it felt so raw with the focus on mental health. It also was surprisingly steamy!

I really enjoyed this book. Although we are starting to see more characters in stories with a disability, it's not too often that the main character has an anxiety disorder. I don't know much about the disorder, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of it, but I can say that some of the ways to describe it seem realistic as an outsider. I enjoyed the love story, how these two came together with the help of Walker's grandma, and how in the end Walker was able to get some closure from the strained relationship with is father.

I loved every single second of this book. From the moment we’re introduced to these characters, to the final page and sentence. There was just something so comforting about this book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a phenomenal job! It brought the story to life and made the experience even better!

We follow Aja who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. She goes to bingo every week as a way of getting out but doing so in a more anxiety free way until her bingo friend gets injured and her hot grandson has to come to bingo to help her play. The same man who had seen her having a panic attack at the grocery store.

I loved the two of them together so much. Walker suffers from CPTSD so to see the two of them bond over their different issues and help each other when they can’t, or just being there was so heartwarming. I also appreciated the fact that Aja is comfortable with her body, she’s proud of herself and it was refreshing to see a character so confident. Jodie just did such a wonderful job crafting these two characters and their friendship and relationship.

Not to mention, the banter, sexual tension and pining? A++. There is a bingo sext pact!!! Literally what made me need this book in my life and I was right, it was phenomenal!

If I haven’t convinced you to read it already — Walker’s dirty talk!!! 😫

If you’re looking for a new romance to read, look no further. Bet On It needs to be on everyone’s shelf!

Aja was the small town girl running from big city life due to her need to feel comfortable in part to her battle with anxiety. Walker was the man who ran to the bigger city— due to past hurts from his father—from a small town where everyone bares witness to and ridicules his innermost pain. When Walker returns to assist his Gram, he meets Aja at bingo, and their lives turn upside down.

Gram was a hoot and her character was absolutely adorable. The dynamic between Walker and his friends and Aja and her newfound friends was a gem. Their friendships proved what true friends are for and presented what healthy and dependable relationships should be. And of course, the attraction between Aja and Walker was instant and their banter and the tantalizing sex made us love them together and want to root for them.

Where the story fell short is that as the main character, we had very little backstory on Aja. It was never revealed what brought on her anxiety issues. Whereas we were provided a full scope on Walker, and his family and the reason behind his PTSD. Without Aja’s backstory, the read felt a bit lackluster causing less of a connection to her, especially since her character was mundane. For all the buildup and complexity behind Walker’s relationship with his father, all it took was one “intervention” from his friends, and one simple conversation with his father, and all was resolved. The story was read as an audiobook, and the narrator’s tone of choice for both Aja and Walker was low and drab, which only highlighted the dull parts of the character’s personas. However, it was probably the best depiction the narrator could use because the characters weren’t lively.

Still, it was a cute and necessary love story. Necessary because it is commendable that the author chose to tackle mental health disorders. In today’s society, it is a topic that should be explored and shown that people who are struggling in this manner can learn to live life on their terms, find love, and be loved for who they are. For that, this story is appreciated the most. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian audio for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in return for my honest review.

I wanted to like this romance, but I didn’t connect with the narrator. And the more I listened, the more I didn’t find Walker or Aja to be likeable characters. So, after 35% this book became a DNF for me. But, don’t take my opinion, check out the great reviews out there.

I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook for my honest review. I loved the audiobook. One of my favorite narrator! I love the story as I already reviewed the novel but the audiobook was fun and I am so happy to remember all the parts of the book but listening to the moments that I love was so fun!